Knox City Council has secured $312,500 in state funding for two park projects after community votes in the Victorian Government's Pick My Park program. Marie Wallace Reserve in Bayswater will receive $250,000 for a new eel-themed playspace with water play, an accessible net swing, carousel and bank slide, plus tree planting and seating. David Cooper Park in Wantirna South will receive $62,500 for solar-powered lighting to improve safety after dark. Construction at both sites is expected to start in early 2027.
Council has secured a Victorian Government grant to revitalise the Bayswater Retail Precinct through shopfront upgrades for local businesses. The project is due for completion by early 2027 and aims to boost street appeal and foot traffic. Participating traders include Lee Lee's Bakehouse, Fragrant Harbour Cafe and My Little Saigon, each planning improvements to their frontages. Owners say the works will make their businesses easier to notice and more inviting to customers.
Melbourne's eastern suburbs are shaping up as key battlegrounds in Victoria's state election. The Liberal party must win back several seats, including Box Hill, Glen Waverley, Ashwood, Ringwood and Bayswater, to govern in its own right. Labor holds all of them by narrow margins. Local voters raise concerns about small business costs, public safety and state debt. Some say they may back Labor despite criticism of its economic management.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
The Western Australian Local Government Association and ABC WA brought council and media leaders together on 22 October. The stakeholder event covered sector priorities, community initiatives and ways to strengthen engagement. Mayors, presidents and chief executives from several cities, shires and towns attended, along with senior ABC WA staff. WALGA President Mark Irwin said councils deliver positive outcomes that are often overlooked, and encouraged attendees to share those stories. WALGA CEO Nick Sloan said the group represents Western Australia's 139 local governments.
A run of community theatre productions across Melbourne's south-east and surrounds is listed through to early 2027. Shows include Cock at the Shirley Burke Theatre in Parkdale until October 31, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Malvern Theatre until November 7. Titanic the Musical is staged at the Geoffrey McComas Theatre, Scotch College, Hawthorn, from December 3 to 12. Several groups are also holding auditions, including Essendon Theatre Company's Seventeen and The Basin Theatre's Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall. Tickets and bookings are handled by each individual company.
The environmental impact statement for the New England renewable energy zone transmission line has been released, opening a period of public comment. The 889-page document covers new transmission lines and energy hubs linking the zone to Bayswater Power Station near Muswellbrook. Communities from Walcha, Uralla and Armidale to Scone and Muswellbrook are affected. EnergyCo has scheduled drop-in sessions across the region, along with webinars. Deputy Project Director Julian Watson said formal submissions must go through the NSW planning portal, not EnergyCo, and that the plans may change after feedback. Submissions close on Thursday, 12 November.
A Perth pub in Merriwa is set for a $5 million expansion under new owners LocalsCo, with plans for a children's playground, a beer garden and 44 extra parking bays. The redevelopment would extend trading hours and update the venue's interior, which has been operating as The Sixty30. A development application is open for public comment until October 22, before the Metro Outer Development Assessment Panel makes a decision. If approved, construction is expected to take about 12 months.
Councils across Western Australia are preparing for new laws that would let them restrict pet cat movements. Under the reforms, councils could confine cats to their owners' premises, ban them from public areas, or introduce night-time curfews. The City of Canning has begun consulting ratepayers, and Deputy Mayor Mark Bain expects support for a curfew. The Shire of Pingelly favours full containment instead. The bill has passed the lower house and could pass the upper house this year, though Animal Justice Party MLC Amanda Dorn has called containment unfair.
Two people have been charged after police intercepted a stolen vehicle in Townsville on 8 October. Officers saw a red Landrover Discovery being driven dangerously on Bayswater Road around 10am. It is alleged the vehicle was stolen from a Pimlico address on 7 October. Police tracked the car until a tyre deflation device was deployed at Coolbie around 3.05pm. It is alleged the driver and passenger then fled on foot. A 21-year-old Kelso woman was found in nearby cane fields and taken into custody. The 24-year-old Alice Creek man was tracked by Dog Squad officers and arrested around 3.15pm.
